A conservative watchdog organization, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), has filed an ethics complaint with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) against the reelection campaign of Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the Ohio Democratic Party, and the Ohio Grassroots Victory Fund political action committee. The complaint, submitted on Wednesday, accuses these entities of soliciting campaign contributions that exceed legal limits and seeks civil penalties against them.

Kendra Arnold, the Executive Director of FACT, stated, “While it may appear that Sen. Brown is employing a complex fundraising scheme, it seems he is simply attempting to secure campaign contributions above the legal limit. The law must be strictly enforced against all candidates, but it is particularly egregious when a long-serving U.S. senator appears to be violating this law and the trust the public has placed in him.”

Sen. Brown, who currently chairs the Senate Banking Committee, is facing a competitive reelection campaign this year in Ohio, a swing state that could play a crucial role in determining which party controls the Senate. Neither Brown nor the state party responded to a request for comment.

The FEC has set an individual donor cap of $3,300 per election for a candidate. The complaint alleges that the groups in question have disregarded federal fundraising limits by continuing to raise money designated for Brown’s primary campaign after the March 19 election, which is only permitted if campaigns have outstanding debts. Furthermore, the complaint asserts that contributions made to the Ohio Democratic Party should have been counted as contributions to Brown’s campaign because they were “earmarked” for the campaign or otherwise knowingly designated for it in fine print on donation webpages to fund “voter turnout operation to get Sherrod across the finish line this November.”